FR2806249A1 - Molded plastic insulating mount and flexible female connector for connection bars of an electrically conducting circuit in sheet form for automobile rear lamp bulb cluster - Google Patents

Abstract

The mount (1) has bulb holders (2) and track guides and fixings for a connector (22) having slots (6) designed to hold bars(18) of a metallic circuit. The circuit sheet has bulb support tracks (10), which fit over the bulb holders, and bulb feed tracks (15). The connector (22) is separated from the mount by two parallel slots (19) whilst its ends, adjacent to the slots are connected to the mount by flexible V section connections (20,21) having one side fixed to the mount and the other to the connector (22).

Description

The invention relates to the mounting of cut circuits on lamp supports. The invention relates to an assembly comprising a molded plastic plate provided with housings intended to receive lamps and a circuit formed from a metal sheet which is good conductor of electricity, said sheet being stamped to form lamp supports intended to be inserted in the housings and cut to form a series of lamp supply tracks. Such an arrangement is known, more particularly, for the production of rear lights of motor vehicles.

Generally, these tracks are interconnected by bridges so that said tracks remain adjoining to each other, the plate constituting the lamp holder having members for guiding in the proper position of the tracks, these members, constituted by pins or protrusions deformed by heat to ensure the fixing of the cut circuits at the same time as the bridges, are broken in order to make the tracks independent.

First, the workers in charge of mounting receive the lamp supports and the cut circuits, mount the latter on the supports, the assembly thus pre-assembled being routed to a post where the pins are crushed and the bridges broken.

Generally, the cut circuits have a series of bars folded to extend perpendicular to the plane of the cut circuits and which are intended to pass through a series of slots provided in the lamp holder, said slots being surrounded by a skirt projecting from the face. back protector opposite that intended to receive the lamps in order to form a female connector element in which engages a male connector element connected to a source of electric current of the vehicle in order to supply the various circuits of the lamps.

Depending on the type of automobile, several female connectors may be provided on the dorsal face of the support.

The different tolerances between the lamp holder and the cut circuits are large so that it is often very difficult to insert the shaped bars into the cut circuits in the slots of the lamp holder.

One of the aims of the present invention is to remedy this drawback.

The assembly, according to the invention, is of the type comprising an insulating plate of molded plastic material having housings for the lamps and a circuit formed from a metallic sheet good conductor of the electrically stamped to form lamp holders s '' inserting into the housings and cut to form a series of tracks for supplying the lamps, said insulating plate comprising means for guiding the tracks and means for fixing them and a part pierced with a series of slots intended for be crossed by folds of the tracks to project from the opposite side of the insulating plate to that provided with the housings and thus form a connector element with male pins intended to receive a complementary connector element connected to a source of electric current, said assembly being characterized in that the part provided with slots is connected to the insulating plate of a flexible way.

With this arrangement, we can slightly change the location of the slots so that they can easily be aligned with the folds constituting the male pins.

According to a characteristic of detail, the part provided with the slots is separated from the insulating plate by two parallel slots, while the ends of said portion adjacent to the ends of the slots are connected to said insulating plate by flexible portions.

Finally, according to a last constructive characteristic, the flexible parts are formed by parts with a V-section, one wing of which is integral with the insulating plate and the other wing of the corresponding end of the part provided with the slots. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to a particular embodiment given by way of example only and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an assembly, according to the invention. 'invention.

Figure 2 shows in perspective the lamp holder with the circuit mounted.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a detail.

In the figures, there is shown a lamp holder 1 made of molded plastic and having two cavities 2 intended to receive lamps.

On its face 1a, the lamp holder is provided with pins 3.

In the embodiment shown, the lamp holder 1 has a part 22 in which is formed a series of slots 6 which, on the side opposite to the face 1a, is circumscribed by a skirt 7 so as to constitute a female connector element intended receiving a male connector element 4 connected by a conductor 8 to a current source suitable for supplying the various lamps.

The support 1 is intended to receive a cut circuit 9 having sockets 10 for receiving the lamps and intended to coincide with the cavities 2. The circuit includes holes 11 for receiving the pins 3.

The cut circuit has different tracks 15, 15a, 15b linked together by bridges 5 which, after mounting on the support 1 and fixing by deformation of the pins 3, are broken in order to form independent circuits for supplying the lamps.

At an intermediate point along their length, the different tracks are folded to form a series of bars 18.

As can be seen in the various figures, the part 22 of the support in which the slots 6 are formed is bordered by two longitudinal slots 19, while the other sides of this part 22 are connected to the support by V-shaped sections 20 and 21 each having two wings respectively 20a, 20b and 21a, 21b.

 Since the part 22 is connected to the rest of the support only by the V-shaped parts 20 and 21, this part can be slightly displaced so that the engagement of the bars 18, through the slots 6, is facilitated.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment which has just been described and shown. Many detailed modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (3)

1. Mounting of cut circuits on lamp supports comprising an insulating plastic molded plate (1) having housings (2) for the lamps and a circuit formed from a metal sheet good conductor of the electrically stamped for forming lamp supports (10) fitting into the housings (2) and cut to form a series of tracks (15) for supplying the lamps, said insulating plate comprising means for guiding the tracks and fixing means ( 3) of these and a part (22) pierced with a series of slots (6) intended to be crossed by folds (18) of the tracks to project, on the opposite side of the insulating plate (1) from that provided with housings (2) and thus form a connector element with male pins (18) intended to receive a complementary connector element connected to a source of electric current, said assembly being characterized in that the part (22) provided with slots (6) is connected to the insulating plate in a flexible manner. 2. Installation of circuits cut out on lamp supports, according to claim 1, characterized in that the part (22) provided with slots (6) is separated from the insulating plate (1) by two parallel slots (19), while that the ends of said part (22), adjacent to the ends of the slots (19), are connected to said insulating plate (1) by flexible parts (20, 21). 3. Installation of circuits cut out on lamp supports, according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the flexible parts are formed by V-section parts of which one wing is integral with the insulating plate and the other wing of the corresponding end of the part (22) provided with slots (6).